Concurrent Sessions Round Four

3:45 – 4:45

043. Computer Science and Basic Robotics in STEAM

This session will introduce you to the concept of integrating computer science, basic robotics, and STEAM into your everyday curriculum. Participants will gain exposure to teacher planning with studio.code.org, observe learner project ideas, obtain resources from edu.sphero, and then have time to be hands on and engage with an Ollie robot!

044. Efficient Assessment and Grading in the High School Classroom

Using GSuite and other technology to make grading assessments more efficient. Tips and tricks currently being used by an English teacher and Social Sciences teacher at Platteville High School. Topics covered include: collaboration, going paperless, online portfolios, assessments, add-ons for GSuite, and time saving grading tools.

045. Incorporating Technology Within the Math Workshop Model in Early Elementary Classrooms

Incorporating technology within the framework of a math workshop model provides for greater flexibility and differentiation even at the earliest grades. This session will explore multiple ways to incorporate technology in engaging and meaningful ways in the Math workshop model to manage, extend, and track concepts that can be applied in classrooms with only a few devices or 1-to-1. Come explore how to use Symbaloo to organize math games, Google quizzes to provide individualized independent practice, and Google forms and slides to track and monitor math fact progression. Participants will be encouraged to try out and modify ideas presented to best fit their classroom needs.

046. Math, Not Just Pencil and Paper Anymore

The focus on this session will be on technology implementation in a mathematics classroom. The session will show how to implement technology through the use of the SAMR model to increase student engagement, track student achievement and provide support when needed. The session will demonstrate how teachers can substitute and augment technology through online textbooks, online quizzes and forms and the use of Google Classroom. Through these forms of technology, you can improve your communication with students and speed up your students access to information. In addition, the session will show how you can modify your teaching through the use of Nearpod, Screencastify, Quizzi, Kahoots, and various formative assessments (Go Formative, Socrative Math, etc.). Finally, I will show how I have transformed my math classroom to a blended learning community. This change has greatly increased my student’s engagement; students have been more responsive in class, have had deeper and meaningful conversations and have build background knowledge at a quicker rate. This has been achieved through the use of choice projects and SeeSaw video capture for explaining their process for solving a problem. Together, math has been transformed from start to finish, students are able to dig deeper and extend their learning through effective technology implementation.

047. What the Deck? Using Pear Deck as a Tool to Unleash Student Voice and Feedback in the Classroom

As we look to personalize learning in our classrooms, how can one teacher hear, respect, and act on all of the voices in the classroom efficiently? Personalized learning doesn’t mean technology drives learning. It means learner needs drive the tools we use. In this session, we will focus on Pear Deck a technology tool that allows for incorporation of multiple personalized learning elements into the classroom including learner voice, multiple instructional modes, and timely actionable feedback. Pear Deck is a Freemium piece of software, but in this session we will focus on deploying the free options to their greatest potential. The Pear Deck add-on for Google slides has been called the “Greatest Slides add-on for education” by Kasey Bell. Learn how this add-on allows educators to incorporate a variety of modes of real-time student interactions into presentations and collect these responses to be reviewed in real time or after the completion of a presentation. Pear Deck Vocabulary, another Pear Deck tool, is a flashcard builder that allows students to collaborate as they build multiple representations of terms to be reviewed, saved, and shared. This presentation will give you hands-on experience with these tools from the student and teacher perspective. The goal is to give educators the why, what, and how of Pear Deck so they can use it as a tool to unleash the voice of learners, tomorrow. Please note: you will be asked to interact and collaborate with perfect strangers in this session as we #ShareThePear.

Speaker: Mike Mohammad

Strands:Grades: K-12Experience Level: NoviceConvention Track: DATL

48. You Can be Internet Awesome Too! Digital Citizenship Lessons for Your Classroom!

There are a ton of resources available for Internet Safety and Digital Citizenry, but how do you know what is best? This session will walk you through the best of the best resources and provide you with lessons to use in your classroom right away. Content will be organized by elementary, middle, and high school strands!

Speaker: Kurt Wismer

Strands:Grades: K-12Experience Level: NoviceConvention Track: DATL

049. Parent Technology Takeover: Empowering Parents and Educators to Learn About the Technology Kids Use

Ever find yourself saying, “My kids know more about technology than I do?” How has this become acceptable in our culture? Technology impacts every facet of our lives and our students are being exposed to more and more of it, without the guidance of knowledgeable adults. At this session you will learn how to create a community outreach event that will empower parents, staff and community leaders to learn more about the technology used by our youth, through a community conversation. Our community in the Chippewa Valley has greatly valued this event as an opportunity for parents to speak with one another and learn about parenting hacks that help keep kids safe. Best of all, they are empowered to learn more about technology, which can be intimidating for some parents. The event is set-up for conversation to flow freely, with experts/key stakeholders planted throughout the event to offer guidance. Our parents enjoyed learning from university students, administrators, teachers, MS/HS students, law enforcement, but best of all they loved learning from each other. This is a growing trend in our area and we are thrilled to share its success.

Speaker: Dan Peggs

Strands:Grades: K-12Experience Level: NoviceConvention Track: LPD

050. Using Technology for Positive Parent Contacts to Increase Student Engagement and Learning

We know from research, that when families feel embraced, engaged, and empowered to support their children, children do better in schools. This presentation will share the historical research regarding positive family contacts and how it increases student on-task behavior, engagement and learning that supports an Equitable Multi-Level System of Support. Participants will learn about an evidenced-based strategy to increase student engagement through different modes of technology that can be used, and this strategy can take as little as 5 minutes a week!

051. Digital Age Leadership to Support High-Quality Instruction

Organizations in the state provide technology infused practices and support high-quality instruction through defining your instructional vision. This collaborative session will share what those organizations do together in serving all teaching and learning staff with the types of technological knowledge needed to be effective and proactive in schools, districts, classrooms, and communities.There is a strong need to recruit, attract, and retain digital age leaders and train individuals who serve in district collaborative leadership roles; be a part of the solution and attend this session to prepare yourself for a technology leadership position. Information about the WETL and DPI statewide sponsored Certified Education Technology Leaders (CETL) professional learning opportunity will be shared that include resources on these topics.

Speaker: Janice Mertes & Future Ready Districts

Strands:Grades: K-12Experience Level: AdvancedConvention Track: LPD

052. Show the Thinking: Visible Learning for iPads & G Suite for Education

Help students dig deeper into their thinking and ask better questions! Learn effective ways to structure higher level thinking activities using a inquiry-based approach. This session will focus on framing your lessons to support discovery and problem solving techniques, leveraging curation and creation apps for iPads and G Suite for Education. Utilizing strategies to help students dig deeper into their thinking and ask better questions is an effective way to ways to engage students in innovative learning experiences that encourage students to view digital technologies more than a “classroom” tool. Integrating higher level thinking activities using a inquiry-based approach will allow students to collaborate, while justifying their learning by formulate questions, researching, planning, and critically thinking. Furthermore, Google Apps and iPad creation/curation apps have the power to connect curriculum-content and personal knowledge, and redefine the writing, revision, communication, and collaboration process commonly used in the classroom. G Suite tools and iPad Apps then become to the vessels for students to effectively create and publish authentic content that demonstrates proficiency of student content knowledge and learning goals. This session will review how these inquiry-based activities also help students practice and build skills and behaviors focused on by the CCSS and become digital-age learners.

053. Using Google Suite to Empower Learners and Build Classroom Community

These three educators come from a district with a universal focus on engaged and empowered learning and have been using Google Suite and other technology resources to implement personalized practices in their schools for the last five years. Their focus is on providing resources to learners so they are able to demonstrate mastery of their individualized goals in creative, authentic, and meaningful ways. As well as, utilizing technology to organize seminars, confer groups, and goal setting while fostering an environment with collaboration, academic discourse, and independence.

054. Middle and High School Strategic Use of Data for Universal Screening in an Equitable Multi-Level System of Support

This session will focus on using Early Warning Systems for Universal Screening within an Equitable Multi-Level System of Support. Early Warning Systems (EWS) are data warehouses that organize existing data into risk indicators and predictors of post-secondary success in a systematic fashion for easier data collection and analysis. A promising practice of using existing data is generally recommended above 4th grade. Schools can use EWS data to look for patterns and identify school climate issues impacting universal levels of support. The key indicators identify students at risk of not graduating on time or not college and career ready. Schools can assign students to intervention and then monitor these key indicators. Integrating instruction aligned with the key indicators into existing systems and supports (e.g., Academic Career Plans, SW-PBIS Lesson Plans) is highly recommended. Early Warning Systems are essential within middle and high school’s Strategic Assessment Systems, which measure progress towards college and career readiness, including academic preparedness and social-emotional competence, across classrooms, schools, districts, and the state. When implemented strategically and systematically, assessment systems – including formative, interim, and summative measures – lead to improved student outcomes. (Wisconsin DPI)

055. Project-Based Learning

Students will take part in a dynamic approach to learning called PBL (project-based learning), where they are actively engaged in real world problems and challenges that could change Van Buren for the better, and even change the world! Through hands-on learning, students will choose a topic of interest, and work collaboratively with each other and the community to find a real-world solution to their challenge. With the guidance of reading, math, technology, arts, and community connections coaches, students will feel empowered to travel into an unfamiliar area in order to learn more about it, collaborate and create real solutions that extend beyond our school walls!

056. Wisconsin Google for Education Update

What is new in the world of Google to enhance student learning? DPI will facilitate a conversation with Google to better understand new initiatives with Google tools and how they support the standards for Information and Technology Literacy as well as the Wisconsin Digital Learning Plan. Come hear from our WI Google team as they support the needs of schools today with solutions, innovations, and opportunities.